(Original publication: February 17, 2006)
YONKERS
The busy, late breakfast crowd at Eileen's Country Kitchen on McLean Avenue isn't what it used to be.
Not an Irish face around," said owner Eugene Collum, who with his wife Eileen runs the popular diner serving hearty Irish dishes.
A prospering economy in Ireland, an on-going state effort to verify driver's licenses and increased security since the 9/11 terror attacks have forced local illegal Irish immigrants to return to Ireland.
The departures are hurting small businesses in southeast Yonkers and the
adjacent Woodlawn neighborhood in the Bronx.
Collum estimated that his sales fell about 20 percent since large numbers of Irish illegal immigrants began leaving the area two years ago.
Some illegal Irish immigrants are leaving because of a New York Department of Motor Vehicle campaign to verify drivers licenses by requiring a valid Social Security number. Illegal immigrants cannot legally obtain valid Social Security numbers.
The U.S. government does not have official statistics on the number of illegal immigrants in the country, but estimates range from 6 million to 11 million.
Josephine Kinsella, 32, an actress and waitress, persuaded an immigration
judge to award her a resident visa, which she received two weeks ago after
living in the United States illegally for seven years. Her new status will
allow her to get a Social Security card and a driver's license.
She plans on visiting her parents in Ireland, whom she has not seen in four years. She also wants a "real" job and a Screen Actors Guild membership.
"It's not that (waitressing) is not good. It's just that the bosses don't have to pay you. They don't have to give you a wage, so you just work for tips," said Kinsella, during a rehearsal break on Saturday with the Yonkers-based Hamm & Clov Stage Co.for a March 5 performance at White Plains' Arts Exchange.
One Irish American business not hurt by the Irish exodus is Liffey Van Lines of Mahopac and Manhattan. The company moves households to Ireland.
Danny Moloney, Liffey Van Lines' owner, said business was good in December and November, when he moved about 32 containers out of the McLean Avenue/Woodlawn area.
"I would say a lot of people can't get jobs without Social Security numbers or driver's licenses," said Moloney of the reason for his clients' departures.
The state Department of Motor Vehicles began cross-checking driver's licenses with Social Security numbers in February 2004. Information about how many licenses had been suspended under the program was unavailable in time for this story.
The Irish government does not keep track of why its citizens are returning to Ireland or from which country they return. In April 2005 Ireland's Central Statistics Office reported that since 1996 about 218,800 Irish have returned to Ireland, with an estimated 19,000 returning last year.
Ireland's population is 3.9 million.
Shortly after taking office President George W. Bush announced his support for immigration reform and a guest worker program that might have allowed millions of illegal immigrants to legalize their status.
The Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks stalled immigration reform. Last year Bush renewed his calls for immigration reform, although he voiced opposition to an amnesty for illegal immigrants.
In December the House of Representatives passed the Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act. The House legislation does not provide for the legalization of illegal immigrants and it would implement harsh rules against illegal immigrants, including making it a felony to be in the United States illegally.
The Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform — a New York-based nonprofit partially funded with a grant from the Irish government — supports the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act.
The group is signing up illegal Irish immigrants for a March 8 trip to Washington, D.C., to lobby the Senate in support of Secure America act.
That bill calls for a guest worker program and it would require illegal immigrants with no criminal records to pay a penalty of $1,000 so they can legalize their status.
The Senate has not voted on any bill, but before immigration reform occurs the Senate and House would have to agree on one bill.
Kinsella said a guest worker program is not a realistic option for illegal immigrants who have already lived in the United States for years.
"You're making your life here. Why would you pay taxes and everything and then just say goodbye?" she said, adding that lawmakers should consider some kind of amnesty. "Who are the waitresses and the construction workers? Who are the taxi drivers? Americans know this, so why not give people a fair chance to work?"